ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said Tuesday that the United States (US) President Donald Trump can hire a US-based audit firm on Pakistan’s expense to verify the quoted figure of $33 billion aid given to Pakistan, in order to ascertain ‘who is lying and deceiving’.
The foreign minister used a social media platform to counter Trump’s harsh tweet against Pakistan in which the US president threatened to cut aid to Pakistan.
“In his tweet, President Trump quoted a figure of $33 billion aid given to Pakistan in the last 15 years. He is free to hire a US-based audit firm on our expense to verify his claim and let the world know who is lying and deceiving,” Asif tweeted.
The foreign minister in an earlier tweet had said that Pakistan would reveal the truth in front of the world and would respond to Trump’s tweet soon.
The controversial tweet shared by Trump on the morning of New Year’s Day, read: “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools.”
In an effort to give a strong reply to Trump’s threats, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chaired a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) earlier in the day to discuss the issue by looking at different angles. The meeting acknowledged that Pakistan had rendered countless sacrifices in the war on terror and had taken decisive action against all militant organisations by showing unflinching resolve.
On Monday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office had also summoned US Ambassador David Hale to protest President Trump’s tweet that tried to degrade the role of Pakistan in the war on terror.
On the other hand, Asif also said that Pakistan had started fencing work on the border with Afghanistan as it was imperative to regulate cross-border movement.
Pakistan had started the fencing work with its own resources and Afghanistan should also initiate work on its side as it was the collective responsibility of both the countries, he said during a programme on a private news channel.
He said that 60,000 to 70,000 people crossed the Pak-Afghan border on a daily basis and its management was necessary to monitor these movements.
Asif said that Pakistan had been hosting a large number of Afghan refugees for decades and now it was time to repatriate them in a respectable manner. He said that US had spent billions of dollars in Afghanistan and they should also take steps to settle Afghan refugees in their homeland.
To a question, the minister said he would share details of the total aid given by US on Wednesday (December 3). He said Pakistan would give its response on Trump’s tweet and the matter would also be taken up in the parliament.
To another query, Asif said Pakistan would not compromise on its geographical integrity and its armed forces were capable of defending the motherland.